Waliullah, an accused in the 2006 Varanasi blasts case, was manhandled again by lawyers as he was coming out of the courtroom after appearing before the High Court Bench in Lucknow on February 11. He had been brought to the court for a hearing in an appeal filed by the state Government against an earlier order by the Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) clearing him of some of the charges in the case on the grounds of lack of evidence. Waliullah had to take shelter in the courtroom to escape the lawyers, and was later escorted out by a contingent of the police force. He had earlier been attacked by lawyers in Lucknow, Varanasi and Ghaziabad.
A group of over 50 lawyers gathered outside the courtroom and pounced on Waliullah the moment he walked out after appearing before the Bench of Imtiyaz Murtuza and S C Chaurasia. “We rushed to the place to find a group of lawyers raising slogans and creating a ruckus. It took over half-an-hour to disperse the advocates and make arrangements to escort Waliullah out,” said SP Paresh Pandey.